Tesla Motors laughs at naysayers and begins production of its first all-electric vehicle.

Naysayers have lampooned the all-electric Tesla Roadster
ever since DailyTechfirst
covered the sleek two-seater in late 2006. Some balked at the $100,000 price
tag, others complained about the vehicle being vaporware, and many laughed at
the idea of "temporary transmissions" while production units were
still being developed.

Despite the whispers from an increasingly rowdy audience,
Tesla persisted. In late January, the company announced that it passed
all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. The company also noted at the
time that regular production for the vehicle would commence on March 17.

Today, Tesla announced that production began for its Roadster.
The company is slowly churning out Roadsters and hopes to build as many as 100
units per month by early 2009.

According to Tesla Motors President and CEO Ze'ev Drori, the
company's main focus now is to expand the "sales and service arena marked
by the opening of our Los Angeles store and Menlo Park store in the near
future."

To the naysayers, Drori adds, "With this milestone, the
Tesla Roadster is the only zero emission electric vehicle in production today
-- this is in stark contrast to the others who only talk about their future
plans. Tesla’s remarkable achievement validates the vision, ingenuity, hard
work and commitment of Tesla’s employees."

It is truly a great achievement for Tesla Motors and the
automotive industry in general. Hopefully for Tesla, the public's eagerness to
learn more about the all-electric Roadster will translate into sales for more
mainstream future models including a rumored sedan and crossover utility
vehicle.

For those that haven't been following the Tesla Roadster's
development, the vehicle features a 3-phase, 4-pole electric motor which
develops 248 HP. It can accelerate to 60 MPH in under 4 seconds with its
two-speed transmission -- early production models are equipped with a temporary
one-speed transmission which limits 0-60 times to 5.7 seconds. Top speed for
the Tesla Roadster is 125 MPH and its can travel 220 miles on a single charge.
It takes roughly 3.5 hours to charge the lithium-ion battery pack.

The 2008 Roadster production is already sold out as Tesla
Motors took reservations for over 900 units. The company is now accepting orders for
2009 models which will hopefully come with the production two-speed
transmission already installed.

Comments

Threshold

Username

Password

remember me

This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled

The G8 sports truck in no way competes with the Subaru Baja. If anything, it is a revival of the old "El Camino", which was a high powered bastardized car/truck hybrid. The G8 sports truck will be faster than most mustangs and just as fast as SRT-8 branded Dodges. If anything, it is closer related to the Dodge Magnum (truck vs. wagon).

As for why GM is doing this, the real question is why not? The car is already designed and selling in Austrailia as the Holden Ute. If you already have something made, and from the ground up made to pass US safety standards, what extra does it take to bring it here and market it? GM has already done their homework. There is a small niche market for this. Just as there is for the Challenger or the Ford Thunderbird, Scion xB, or Chrysler Prowler.

They call this polarizing marketing. 90% of the people who see it will hate it, but out of the 10% that like it, a very high percentage will "Have to have it". It's a way to differentiate yourself in the field of "me-to" sedans. Gone are the days when you see a new nameplate live on for 30+ years.

361 HP and no weight over the rear tires does not mean this will be faster than most Mustangs, it just means it will put on a better smoke show....

Also, this thing looks like vomit on wheels. Looks like Pontiac designers hit another home run, following up on vehicles like the Aztec and Vibe. (Barf!).

Back to the Tesla though, while I love this car (and could never afford one), I think it at least gets "the ball rolling" for others to create electric cars we can afford. Besides, I'm tired of paying $500/mo. for gas.

I suggest you re-read my original post. This is not a concept......it is a re-badged Holden Ute. Just like the G8 is a re-badged Holden Commodore, and how the GTO was a modified re-badged Holden Monaro.

quote: 361 HP and no weight over the rear tires does not mean this will be faster than most Mustangs, it just means it will put on a better smoke show....

quote: Also, this thing looks like vomit on wheels. Looks like Pontiac designers hit another home run, following up on vehicles like the Aztec and Vibe. (Barf!).

Pontiac didn't design this. Again, it is made by Holden (GM's Austrailian subsidiary) and imported. Now, if you wanted to say that Pontiac management was crazy for bringing it over, then that would be a valid point, but don't denigrate Pontiac designers for something they didn't do.

Personally, I don't like the car, but as I said in my original comment, they are looking for the 10% that like it. Obviously, you and I are part of that 90% catagory.

There happens to be a reason why you don't see too many (almost none) drag racing trucks. Getting a truck to hook is very difficult-- you just can't get the tires planted like you can on a car.

Also, the 361hp option is just that, it's the top option for the vehicle... If you want to go apples to apples, you should compare the mustang's top option (Shelby GT500KR). But then again, it couldn't even compete against a standard GT500.

I stand corrected on the Holden design, but shouldn't I be allowed to put them down for the Vibe and the Aztek? Or were those also imported?

Ahhh, I see now that the only reason you are debating anything was because I said it could beat most mustangs. And that is true, considering that most mustangs sold are also the V6 models. So not sure why you even brought up the engine choices, since the mustang has them too.

quote: If you want to go apples to apples, you should compare the mustang's top option (Shelby GT500KR). But then again, it couldn't even compete against a standard GT500.

Apples to apples is always subjective. Fords top offering compared to the Ute's, or would price be better where it is more comparable to the GT. In any event, I don't think they're comparable, since I doubt the market for the G8 truck will steal any marketshare from the Mustang. I mean, why not compare this to a Ferrari, or a McLauren. Those comparisons would be about at equally useless. However, when dealing with strait facts, the Ute puts in low 5sec 0-60 times and low 13sec 1/4 mile times. Take that as you will, but it will beat most stock unmodified mustangs.

Funny, since every time this is brought up on the mustang boards, you ford guys all scream how the GT500KR shouldn't be compared to the Z06 or Viper because they cost more. But then again, the GT500KR can't even compete against a standard C6 and gets thourouly slammed in every single test catagory (even with the 100hp advantage). So what would be an Apples to Apples comparison then?

quote: There happens to be a reason why you don't see too many (almost none) drag racing trucks. Getting a truck to hook is very difficult-- you just can't get the tires planted like you can on a car.

There have been many high powered trucks that are able to break into a 13 sec 1/4 mile from the factory, something a standard Mustang GT can barely do (high 13sec car). Let see. Fords own Lightning, GM Scyclone, Dodge has one too. Now, if your talking true drag racing in the 9s or even 8s, I'd agree, but we're not. We're talking stock cars off the showroom floor, so not too difficult to do in a truck. I own and run one of the fastest IRS cars in the world, pulling consistant low 9's so I know how difficult it is to launch.